Parlez-vous Francais?

I am currently in my third semester of French here at Notre Dame. It's kind of funny because I took Spanish all through high school, but decided to fulfill my language credit at ND by taking French. While the language is quite difficult and the pronunciation is even harder, I really enjoy it. I think that it is an absolutely beautiful language and am very happy that I decided to try something new.

For class, we were told to watch the movie Monsieur Ibriahim. The film was in French, but we were able to have English subtitles. (To anyone learning a new language: Watching a movie in the language you are learning while using the English subtitles is the BEST way to learn better comprehension skills ... well, it has been working for me at least! haha)

To make a long story short, I was very unsure about this film before I watched it. I have seen several French films and have only liked a few, so I was not sure what to expect. To my surprise, however, this movie was fabulous. It is a story about a young Parisian boy named Momo, his relationship with Ibrahim, and the lessons they learn about life. Seriously, I LOVED it! So if you have a little extra time and want to try something new, then give this movie a shot. I think it has some pretty great lessons!

"Smiling is what makes you happy."

"You can find beauty wherever you look."

"If God wants to reveal life to you, he won't need a book."

"You only have one pair of feet. Look after them. If your shoes hurt you,you change them. You can't change your feet."

"When you want to learn,you don't pick up a book. You talk to someone."

"Your love for her is yours.It belongs to you. She rejects it,but she can't destroy it. She's just missing out on it. What you give, Momo,is yours for good. What you keep is lost forever."

"You can't understand everything with your mind."

"You have to look at them as if to say: "I've never seen such beauty before." For men like you and me... not Alain Delon or Marlon Brando...you're beautiful through women."